


Meowwl's guide to the evil homonym

by meowwl



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowwl/pseuds/meowwl
Summary: This is a resource for writers, containing the most commonly misused homonyms. It will be updated whenever I find fresh evil homonym bites on the fics I read.





	Meowwl's guide to the evil homonym

Meowwl's guide to the most commonly found evil homonym. These are the kind of thing that will bite, even if you're using a spell-check. They sound the same, but have entirely different meanings...and usually different spellings. 

  
Bare- Means naked, or the act of getting that way, or to be uncovered. i.e. "They walked through the chilled canyon, wind nipping at any bit of bare skin." or "He had hopes that her outfit would bare even more skin than her previous." or "With the overburden of earth dug from above it, the stone of the wall was laid bare." 

Bear- Means to carry, to shoulder as a burden. "She'd filled her pack, taking all she could bear with her." or "They were always willing to bear the hardships of life, if it saved another from bearing the same." Past tense of aforementioned: "He bore up well under it, even with the pain running through his body." Also, a large, furry mammal with dubious temperament "A polar bear doesn't actually have white fur. It's translucent, so they get enough vitamin D from the small amount of sunlight in the arctic." 

Base- Several meanings, same pronunciation. Base- Lowest point "The base of the hill." Foundation, or bottom part. "The column's base was solid rock." or "Understanding the letters of the alphabet forms the base from which one learns to read." Point from which one operates. "They set up a base camp just above the treeline." Or place from which a military unit operates. "The fenced in land was all part of the army base." Simple, uncomplicated. Addition and subtraction are base math." Root of the words "basic" and "basis". Lowest of the low. "He was a base criminal." or "He was so base as to allow his people to be enslaved."

Bass- two pronunciations. Rhyming with "ace" Bass- low frequency sound. "The bass from the speakers was rattling my windows!" An instrument for producing low frequency sound...Commonly used independently to discribe a cello's larger cousin and in compound as a desciptor for other instruments. " Bass drum, or Bass fiddle." for examples. Rhyming with "sass". Bass- a type of fish. I apologize for the following example in advance...."Charlie was a clever fish. He aquired all the deep toned instuments in the sea...so all the bass truly did belong to the bass!" 

Fair- Just, correct, equitable. "If the teacher gives Jimmy 8 pieces of candy, but gives Jessica 10, that isn't fair." Pale, pretty. "Her fair skin was so sensitive to the sun, that staying in sunlight for more than 5 minutes would lead to a sunburn." or "He'd never seen a maiden so fair, that he near swooned at her beauty."

Fare- The money you pay to ride a conveyance of some sort...A ferry for example, or a train. "He gave the conductor his fare, and accepted his transfer ticket." Can be food too. "They seemed to delight in simply fare most, eating every scrap of the sandwiches, but ignoring the fancier consome." And an archaicism too, for how well one is doing, or well wishes upon departure "How dost thou fare on thy long journey?" "Why milord, I fare quite well." or "Fare thee well milady!" or "So long, farewell, goodbye!"

Hare- a small rabbitlike animal, typically slightly larger, with longer legs and ears than a rabbit. "A jackrabbit is a hare, not a rabbit at all, technically." Can also be used to describe behavior similar to the animal. i.e, to move expeditiously. "He didn't like what was going on, so he decided to hare off down the road, to get away from it." or to leave suddenly, without notice. "She went haring off to town, without so much as leaving a note!"

Hair- fine strands of keratin and similar proteins produced by the skin of mammalian species. On humans and humanoids, typically found growing thickest on the head. "His head was covered in long, luxuriant hair." or "Her hair was kept in a short crop"

Heir- (the "H" is typically silent, and it is pronounced the same as "air".) One entitled to the position or wealth of a decedent. "The king is dead, and the princess is heir to the throne. Long live the queen!" or "To my son and heir, I bequeath my wealth." 

Here- the opposite of there. Near the speaker. "Come here my pretty!" or "It's not there, it's over here!"

Hear-to detect, discern, as sound or speech. "She could hear them speaking in the next room" or "All he could hear was the buzz of conversation, not what was being said." or "He only heard a murmur, not distinct words." Also a fanciful way to agree with someone by calling others to listen. "I vote that we should elect a new official for that duty. said the senator. "Hear, hear!" said his colleague. Past tense, heard, NOT heared, or herd.

Herd- A group of animals, or the act of chasing, or directing one or more of a group. "A herd of cattle." or "The cowboy rode out to herd the lost calves back to their mothers." or "Trying to get a group of people to work together is like trying to herd cats!" Also, being in a position to herd a group. "The teachers rode herd on the kindergartners, like a shepherd would their sheep."

Hour- a unit of time, approximately one 24th of a day, on earth. "Come to the park with me, and while away an hour or two!" 

Our- Belonging to one's group. "This land is our land, not yours!"

Lea- an open field or pasture, typically used to grow hay, or for allowing animals to graze. A grassland. Also found spelled "ley"

Lee- part or side of something that is sheltered from the wind. "They built their fire in the lee of a large boulder, to help shelter it from the frigid wind, and found it gave them a measure of warmth." Also found in compound forms: Alee- on or in a direction away from the prevailing wind. Seen as somewhat folksy, or archaic. Also, Leeward. "The leeward islands had fared better in the storm. There was much less damage than those to the windward." Rarely seen in plural form for this definition.

Lees- Semi-solid material usually composed of small bits of grapes and dead yeast cells left behind after a portion of wine is consumed. Also known as dregs. "He drank the bottle to the lees, and then dashed it on the rocks below."

Lead- Many meanings, two pronunciations. Short e sound, (rhymes with "bed") can be a soft gray metal, with high electrical conductivity, low melting point, and a tendency to cause poisoning if too much is ingested. Also, the similarly colored grayish graphite point of a pencil. With long e sound (rhymes with "seed") Foremost. The one in front. To have a living thing follow one to a destination. To be in front while racing. "If Jenny stays in the lead, she'll win the race." To take command. "He will lead his people to victory." root of the word "leader" in this context.Also, can be used to designate a tether used to enforce following, as a horse, or dog. Synonym for leash. "He attached the lead to the halter, and led the mare to a drier pasture." 

Led- following, being directed. "They led me carefully through the maze." Not the spelling difference.

Leed- Archaic word for song, or poem. Rarely heard outside of Scotland in modern times.

Right- many meanings, same spelling. Most frequently, means correct. "They knew their intuition was right." or "They got it right, most of the time, but a few times they were wrong." Another: Good, justified, moral. "I'm sure they thought they were doing the right thing." Next: An entitlement to have, obtain, or act. "I have the right to keep and bear arms!" or "I'm the legal heir, that land is my right." or "It is in my right to make a citizens arrest if I see a crime being committed." Next: To the furthest extent. " The horse ran himself right out of the field." Also, as a verb. "It's hard to right a capsized canoe!" or "He dangled upside down by his foot, caught by the snare, and was unable to right himself.

Rite- a ritual, usually either magical, or religious. "The rite was interrupted, and the spell failed." or "They didn't dare interfere in the eclipse rite, lest the sun stay dark forever!"

Sear- to subject to intense heat. In cooking, to rapidly cook the outside with high heat, in order to develop a crust. "The chef lowered the grate close to the fire, in order to sear the steak, and thereby seal in it's juices." Used in hyperbole to describe being subjected to intense heat. "The fireball came so close it nearly seared his ear off!"

Seer- One who can see the future or view things that cannot normally be seen. An oracle, or a clairvoyant. "If one wants one's fortune told, one visits a seer." or "The seer foretold the arrival of a man from a distant land. He had seen the man's departure from that place, and knew his steps could only lead him to them." 

Sere- dry, desicated, desertlike. The sunset brought out the colors, turning sere rock and sand into a fantasia of gleaming golds.

Stair- one of a series of progressively elavated platforms, (risers and treads) for climbing up to a different level or floor. Stairs, in plural. Also known as a step, or set of steps. "They set their feet upon the first stair of what would be a long climb"

Stare- to look at intensely, to gaze at or watch intently. "His hairdo was so outre, so unusual, that she had to stare at it for a while, before she could form an opinion of it."

Tear- Many meanings, two pronunciations. Rhyming with "beer. Tear- A drop of liquid, typically from the eyes. "They shed a tear over the absense of their friend." in verb form, to be in a state of letting fall such a drop. "The onions made her tear up as though she were reading a tragedy." Can also mean similarly shaped gemstones. "He strung the amber tear on a silver chain, turning it into a necklace." Rhyming with "care". Tear- to rip, rupture, pull apart. "They pulled on either side of the sheet, in order to tear it apart." The damage caused by such an action. "The bag leaked all the grain, due to a tear in it's side." or "Seeing the way the couple drove off the car rental lot, the manager added an extra charge for wear and tear to their bill."

Tare- The weight of a vessel, removed to compensate in order to obtain fair measure of the contents. "He put the bowl on the scale, and then set it to zero, to account for tare, before weighing out the grains." The act of setting a scale to compensate for the weight of a vessel. "She turned the knob to tare the scale, after setting the plate on it." Also, the act of determining what setting to use on a scale to set it. "To tare the scale, they weighed the shallow dish, and determined that a simple shift of the balance to the next notch would be correct.

There- someplace away from the speaker. "Set that vase down over there." or "What you seek is there, not here." 

Their- Belonging to them. "They only want their own belongings returned to them." 

They're- contraction of they are. "They're going to get their things from over there."

Ware- a good, as for sale, or in a compound, type of material said good is made of. "He set forth a shingle with a simple drawing on it, to show what kind of ware the shop sold." or "The pots he laid on the blanket were made of stoneware, and earthenware." More typically used as a plural. She spread the pots in a particular pattern, to best show off her wares." Also, a slightly archaic contraction of the word beware. "Heads up, ware falling rocks!"

Wear- to don, to attach to one's person, to use to cover one's nakedness. "Don't just run around nude and sunburn your bits, wear some clothes!" Also, to erode or become damaged due to the effects of time and usage. "Their pack showed that it was well used...wear and tear had reduced the surface to tatters." or "Gears grinding without grease tend to wear down fast." And similar to time and use, to become tired, overworked. "She had a dreadful tendency to wear herself out." or "He wasn't about to let the opposition wear him down, like some river running along a canyon would the rock." 

Were- two pronunciations. When rhyming with "care" were- one who transforms from human or other sentient species to an animal form. "Werewolf?!?" asked the man in a panic. "There wolf!" said the other, comically pointing out the large canine form. Or, "I spend half my time shambling through the forest...literally, as I'm a werebear." When rhyming with "stir". Were- past tense of be, or second person singular of be. "They didn't know where they were. They were lost."

Where- in what location. What place. "Where on earth did he go?" or "Now where did I put that darned thing?!"

Your- belonging to you, another person. "That's your shirt, not mine." 

You're contraction of you are. "You're going to regret that, hero." 

Yore- Arcahiac word for the past. "In the days of yore, when knights were noble, and ever were fair damsels in distress.

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued....


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